Common Questions About Crafting The Perfect Family Vacation

Are you looking for ways to get fit while enjoying the great outdoors? You should consider looking into wilderness adventure tours or backpacking. The United States is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes the world over, offering you everything from bountiful forests to sweeping canyons to winding rivers. Some of the best family summer vacation ideas revolve around wilderness adventure tours and backpacking travel, though they are by no means the only options at your disposal for a good and invigorating time. Let’s take a look at family vacation ideas on a budget and help you get started.

How Popular Is Backpacking?

The United States boasts a wealth of natural environments and national parks. As you can imagine, wilderness travel is a pretty popular hobby for many! The year 2008 saw the number of people who went hiking or backpacking within the last 12 months amounting to nearly 30 million. Flash forward another few years to 2014 and this number has increased to 40 million.

What Are Fun Outdoor Activities?

What makes wilderness adventure tours so much fun? It’s all in the environment. Family vacations often default to camping in America for the sheer variety of activities that can be done — these include fishing, hiking, backpacking, boating, swimming, fishing and much, much more. Camping, in particular, is one of the most popular outdoor activities in the country, be it through a tent or a campground. The year 2013 saw the revenue of campgrounds and RV parks estimated at $5 billion.

What If I Want To Lose Weight?

Interested in shedding a few pounds while enjoying yourself? Never fear. Common estimates state only 20% of American adults actually meet public health recommendations, which is exercising five times per week for at least 30 minutes — even briskly walking is a fantastic way of bolstering your physical health and reducing common health conditions like high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and diabetes. The number of calories required for hikers to maintain their body weight during a typical backpacking day is around 5,500.

What Are Popular Destinations?

While you have plenty of options to choose from, some have proven more popular than others over the years. The National Parks System (which includes both monuments and historic sites) drew a stunning 273 million visitors back in 2013, with the top most visited site being the Golden Gate recreational area in San Francisco. When it comes to parks, the top five most frequently visited were Olympic, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Great Smoky Mountain — the latter drew nearly 10 million visitors alone. The Old Faithful geyser at Yellowstone is one of its most beloved attractions, primarily because it erupts regularly and gives visitors fantastic photo opportunities.

Where Do I Start?

If you’re interested in staying healthy and offering your friends and family a good time over the summer or spring months, choosing wilderness adventure tours is the way to go. You’ll have enough camping activities to satisfy everyone on board, not to mention a host of different camping ideas to choose from — RV’s have proven popular for those that like to move around a bit, though classic camping or campgrounds can do the trick for those that want to be closer to the great outdoors. Even better? The sky’s the limit for the National Park that’ll turn your vacation into one to remember.